Star Trek: Time Shattered
by Ariston-1
Summary: Returning to Earth after being sent back in time to 1969, the Captain of the USS Enterprise finds himself recruited by Temporal Agents from the 29th century, his assignment, stop the death of Cadet James T. Kirk.
1. Chapter 1

_Star Trek_

_Time Shattered._

_Location: Earth, San Francisco, Starfleet Academy._

_Date: December 15__th__ 2251._

Sitting side by side in rows four deep and with ten students to a row, it was one of the smaller classes at the Academy during the second year at the Academy, from a class beginning with sixty students and slowly being dwindled down to the best and brightest this selection of students had to offer. One student had constantly struggled to remain within the class through the first year, barely surviving the cut for the second year of the three year course. Considered by many to be of almost genius level, the one student had taken on more then he could handle throughout his second year as he kept his eye on the most coveted position in the Starfleet as one day he had hoped to become a Starship Captain, one of the most highly sought after and respected positions in the growing Federation especially with the launch of the most advanced Starship class to date, the Constitution Class Starships. With his firmly locked on the prized centre seat, he had declared to himself that one day he would take such a position on a starship in honour of his Father, his inspiration for joining the fleet as he followed in his footsteps by taking the same courses as his father one of which was still taught by the same instructor.

Tugging at the collar of the grey-metallic looking Cadet uniform, he listened intently to the old woman sat at a desk next to a large rectangular screen at her left as she described the events which had lead to the launch of the Enterprise NX-01. Although the legendary event had been well established in past lectures by different Instructors, the aging woman had described the events as she lived through them herself. A young Ensign assigned to the NX-01 by accident, she had remained on the vessel for the year before requesting reassignment after a personal loss only to rejoin with the crew during the Xindi crisis.

"And so as you can see Cadets, the official launch of the NX-01 was due in no small part to the events of that in Broken Bow Montana and the recovery of an Klingon currier named Klaang after which, Captain Jonathon Archer and his crew launched early to return said currier back to his homeworld without incident"

"Forgive me Professor, but that is not what really happened, is it?" Called out a brash young male cadet from the middle of the room.

"I have no idea to what you are referring to Cadet Kirk" The old woman replied with a sigh. "But please, enlighten us all"

"Recently declassified files hinted at the involvement of a species known as Suliban, an advanced species… for the time at least, from the Tandar sector" The Cadet said with a cocky smile on his young face.

"Ahh yes, the so called '_Conspiracy Files_'. You should listen more to what is presented in this lectures Cadet Kirk and less to the '_Scuttlebutt_' gossip. As an environmental engineer on the NX-01, I was involved in that mission Cadet, I can tell you with absolute certainty, no involvement with the Suliban species was recorded during that mission to return Klaang to his homeworld" She said with a tired smile on her face.

"Then you have no comment on why the Enterprise had taken a detour to Rigel Ten in the Kandari sector?"

"I see that you have read ahead Cadet, that shows eagerness… Human food did not… appeal to our Klingon guest, the Rigel System had a more appetising selection for their guest. Hence the reason why the Enterprise made a quick stop off for nothing more then supplies for what was the largest Klingon I had ever seen in my life, after which we continued on our course towards the Klingon homeworld at warp three" She replied slowly.

"Why warp three?" Cadet Kirk said slowly.

"Engine troubles as noted in the Captain's official log entry after the Enterprise had safely left Klingon space under escort. Well Cadets, for now that is all the time we have, please read chapters 47, 48 and 49 on these events. Tomorrow, we shall discuss the ramifications of the encounters with the Klingons and it's effect on the Federation. Class, dismissed"

Slowly standing and gathering his books, he looked at Cadet Kirk with a slight smile on his face as Kirk walked towards him, returning the smile as he spoke.

"She's hiding something, I can smell it Rob"

"Ohh, I doubt that Jimmy. Professor Watson has always been candid with her lectures and one of the best"

"You would say that, I've seen you eying her granddaughter…" Cadet Kirk said as they left the lecture hall. "… You'll never catch me concentrating on women like that. I plan to be the youngest Captain in the fleet one day. I can't do that if all I can think about is women"

"They have certain, value though, right Jimmy?" Rob said as he watched an older female cadet leave with a smile on his face.

"You'll never change Rob, you should study more though… Professor Watson said that you show great potential, you could be a great officer one day. Not better then me of course…" Kirk laughed. "… If you're having trouble, just ask"

"Thanks Jim. But I have plans for the night… I've gotta get through all of this myself and catch up. We have five days until the Holidays, I intend to be ready when we return to Campus after the new year"

"Speaking of which Rob, with your parents on assignment and your brother on Vulcan for training, I'm going home for Christmas, come with me? My mom has been asking why you haven't been back"

"Thanks Jim, please extend my apologies to your family. Once I catch up, I'll make a point of dropping by… right now, I have a lot of work ahead of me"

Laughing slightly, the young Cadet Kirk picked up his bag containing his work for the night as he nodded slightly while slapping his friend on his back, hard. Sitting back down in the chair next to the exit, Cadet Robert Spencer leaned backwards slowly and sighed deeply before he looked back at the ever growing mountain of work ahead of him before burring himself deep into his work. For the moment, he skipped past the assigned chapters he was to read as he reread the past twelve chapters on the early Starfleet explorations. For hours each chapter seemed to blur into one as he sat hunched over his work, making notes on what he found in the pile books before him, cross referencing each find with that found in another. As the late afternoon had turned into the evening, he had moved his studies from the single chair and desk as he sat before the lecturer's desk with his man books spread out before him and moving between them like a man possessed in his search for knowledge while each paragraph in the old text books had displayed something different from the last.

The next two years arrived and passed with ease as the young Cadet had fought his way through from the bottom of his class up at the top as the number one student of his year and finally his graduation came. An accident one year earlier which had resulted in the death of his close friend, Cadet James Tiberius Kirk had pushed him to become the number one student in his friend's honour. After graduating one year early and with the service number of _SC937-016CEC _onboard the USS Republic. Quickly rising through the ranks, Robert Spencer finally realised out his dream to become the youngest Captain in Starfleet history and at the age of 32, his life long ambition had become realised as his second command had become a Constitution Class Starship, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701.

_Captain's Log. Stardate 3113.4._

_We have returned from the past after an accident which involves rapid acceleration around Sol to reach our own time and I happy to report that everything has continued as it should. Captain John Christopher and the Sergeant had returned to their original positions before the encounter with the Enterprise, and history has continued along its normal path. We are returning to Spacedock for minor repairs, Mister Scott says that we shall be ready for relaunched in three weeks following a minor upgrade to our systems._

_Personally, I am looking forwards to a visit with an old friend…_

Materialising on familiar ground, Captain Robert Spencer walked towards the old farm house with a smile on his face while an old man walked towards him with a smile on his face. Stopping before the man, Spencer nodded slightly and saluted with old style military salute which was returned by the man himself before they both laughed slightly and hugged as old friends.

"Damn it Rob, you look great! I see that command agrees with you. How long before you have report to command?"

"Thirteen hundred tomorrow. They gave me some time to visit with an old friend. You look good Admiral"

"Ohh come on Rob, after all of these years you still can't relax around me?" The old man said with a smile.

"Sorry, you intimidate the hell out of me"

"You'll still be that awkward friend on my son to me! So, can you talk about your last assignment?" The old man said as he lead him inside. "Or has that Admiral finally beat you down?"

"Not until I report in. I'm sure you'll get the report soon enough sir, you always do" Robert said with a smile on his face.

Stepping into the old building, Robert walked towards an old picture of himself and a friend as he picked up with a deep look of regret in his eyes before slowly placing it back on the mantle above the open log fire as he spoke.

"I miss him, he was a good friend"

"We all do Robert, he had potential to be the greatest…" The old man said with tears in his eyes. "… It took a long time accept his death…"

"Jim Kirk was the reason I am here now. He pushed me when everyone else had given up… But then you know that story George. I think that is the reason why I still come back here…"

"Out of obligation Rob?" The old man laughed. "You've never needed obligation to visit us, you know that"

"I know, You've been like a father to me since my parents where killed. You took me in and… well, enough of that. What I have to ask is why you returned to Starfleet?"

"You know that Answer Rob…" George Kirk said with a smile. "I missed it, all of it. Not to mention the chance of formalising the alliance with the Klingons ad it's all because of you" He said with pride.

"I was in the right place at the right time, nothing more"

"Modesty? So unlike you. That Romulan ship was heading into Klingon space, you took it out and saved a colony. The Klingons value… honour above all else" George said as he groaned while sitting in a chair. "You almost lost your ship in defending that colony against three Romulan ships"

"I know that old friend. Had the Klingons not shown up, I was out of ideas. But, they decided to sit down at the table and talk for a change"

Becoming what the Kirk family has considered as the adopted son, Robert Spencer had spent the night in the family home after enjoying a home cooked meal with the family he had come to know as love as his own. This family of his late Academy friend had become his own in his eyes after the death of his parents during his first assignment. Retiring to bed for the night, images flashed into his mind as he tossed and turned before he awoke with sweat beading off of his body as it had each night since his friend James Kirk had been killed in an accident as he could not shake the feeling that he was living a life destined for someone else. After hours of turning his bed, he left the home of the family who had accepted him as their own and decided to take a long run through the fields which surrounded the large farmland property in Iowa.

Rising slowly above the fields, the son gave off an eerie glow through the morning mist as he stopped to catch his breath from his run around the fields before a voice called out to him.

"This is wrong, this is all wrong. You must come with me now…"

Quickly turning around, he saw a young woman walking towards him whilst wearing what he could only describe as a uniform he had never before seen.

"What?" He said as he gasped for breath.

"There is no time!" The woman said as she stopped before him.

Her long black hair flowed in the morning breeze whilst her clothing remained still. Slowly his eyes ran up her perfectly toned body from her booted feet, up the deep black trousers, past her chest and shoulders towards her young face as he smiled slightly.

"Well, this is private property. You shouldn't be here" He said playfully.

"There is no time. Come with me, _NOW!_" She said urgently.

Reaching towards the metallic badge on her left breast, he spoke with urgency as her hair blew away from her forehead to reveal ridges that he had instantly recognised as some form of Klingon ridges. Reaching towards him before he could move, she grabbed his arm firmly and spoke before the cornfield disappeared only to be replaced by what had appeared to be a highly sophisticated room, filled with species of aliens he had never before seen.

"What, where… am I?" He said quickly.

"Please forgive the Lieutenant's actions Captain, urgency requires immediate actions" A deep male voice called from behind him.

Spinning around instantly towards the location of the voice, he stood face-to-face with a male wearing the same uniform. Recognising the species of the man before him, his fists clenched firmly as he spoke.

"Romulan? Robert William Spencer. Captain USS Enterprise, Service Number…"

"Please relax Captain, you are amongst friends here. I am Neral, captain of the Federation Timeship… Enterprise. This may seem strange to you sir, but you are in the 29th century and… we need your help sir"

"Capt…" He sad slowly.

"Captain, you are amongst friends here. If you will listen, history has been altered somehow… the Federation has fallen to the advance of an unknown species. We intend to put it right, we need your help"

"Spencer, Robert…" He replied.

"Spencer. Robert William. Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. SC937-016CEC, Graduated Starfleet Academy after a one year tour on the USS Republic as Lieutenant Junior. Arose through the ranks quickly and became the youngest Captain in Starfleet… perhaps a little more recent history? An accident with a Black-Star hurtled you and your ship back in time to they year 1969, your engines where down and you where stuck with one Captain John Christopher…"

"How do you know that?" Spencer growled.

"Required reading at the Academy. You returned to your own time by a gravity slingshot around Earth's sun… Shall I continue?"

"How do you know that?" Spencer said with shock.

"Your father's name is Andrew Robert Spencer, you where born on Vulcan. At the age of seven years old your father lost his left arm, which was replaced with a synthetic…"

"Anyone can know that from my file" He said as his fists clenched tighter.

"After the accident, you sat by your father's bed for days. You would eat nothing but toasted bread… your promised him that one day, you would become a Starfleet Officer like he was… and you would find the man responsible for his injury. You never did. I know you Captain Spencer… but what is important is, that history has been changed. Cadet James Tiberius Kirk was not meant to die in that accident. Someone has altered the past and we need your help to repair the damage" The Romulan said slowly.

"Very good, I had no idea that Romulan intelligence was this good. Well, it's been fun people, I must say that I have to leave now. So why not beam me back to wherever you found me and we'll forget about all of this?" Spencer replied swiftly.

""Captain, we have no time for this, as we speak a temporal shockwave is swiftly approaching this century after which the possibility of repairing the timeline with be erased forever. We are the last of the Federation, this ship is all that remains. If you will stand down and listen, we will explain… I give you my word Captain, you are safe as long as this vessel can remain hidden"


	2. Chapter 2

_Location: Delta Quadrant, Classified Location._

_Date: December 15__th__ 2899._

Walking through the large ship filled with alien species he had never before seen, Captain Robert Spencer had been led into a large room at the centre of the ship as the Romulan Captain Neral explained the past in brief detail to the man out of time.

"Two months from when we retrieved you from the past, the Klingon Forces signed an Alliance with the Federation, Co-Operative missions where immediately drawn up after training exercises lead by the Federation and six years later, the first Klingon graduated Starfleet Academy, more quickly followed. It was a new era for the Federation. Personal history for you, you led the missions with the Klingon forces for the Federation, after completing your first Five Year mission as Captain of the Enterprise, your ship returned to Earth for a redesign and refit. Taking two years to complete, the Enterprise began the most advanced vessel in the fleet and the Flagship of the Federation itself commanded by Rear Admiral Robert Spencer for another successful five year mission…"

"Rear Admiral? Nice" Spencer said with a proud smile.

"Indeed, after completing another successful five year mission, the Enterprise was decommissioned and became a cadet training vessel for the next two years while a replacement ship was built. Starfleet decided that one of the two new Excelsior Class vessels would become your new ship, the Enterprise-A, renaming the USS Excelsior of course, the second ship became the Excelsior NCC-2000 under the command of Captain Styles. You continued as Commander of that vessel as Rear Admiral, and began an extended seven year mission. With a formal alliance drawn between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, Klingons where welcomed into the Federation with open arms as the Klingon defence force transferred to the new Starfleet Military Corps, the signing of the final treaty took place on the planet Khitomer. Seeing this as an attempt to gather forces against them, the Romulan Empire dispatched a new prototype War-Bird to stop the signing. The Enterprise-A under the Command of Captain Pavel Chekov was assisted by the USS Excelsior, under Hikaru Sulu in stopping the prototype Romulan ship, which could fire while cloaked"

"That's impossible" Spencer laughed.

"During the battle over Khitomer, Enterprise had taken heavy damage before destroying the Romulan ship, while Excelsior was destroyed in December 2292. Enterprise had been taken back to Earth under your command and decommissioned to be placed in the fleet museum along side the NX-01 and 1701, in honour of the sacrifice, a new Enterprise and Excelsior was launched, a new type of Excelsior class ship. In the year 2300, Retired Admiral Robert Spencer, became President of the Federation…"

"President, Me?"

"Yes sir. You served two highly successful terms in office, becoming one of the Federation's most beloved Presidents. However, in early 2301 the Romulans officially declared war on the Federation. You see Captain, they had continued with random attacks along the boarder, but Starfleet never took their attacks seriously but under your authority, Starfleet begun to build ships in rapid successions with our new Klingon members. On Stardate 41986, in the 24th century, the Romulans begun to test Federation defences once again after a long cold war during which time they built new ships of outstanding designs and abilities. Six weeks later, they entered into Federation space with a fleet of one hundred of their most advanced designs to engage a new Starbase that was under construction, Starfleet's most advanced vessels where waiting for them. 160 Federation Starships lead by the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D under the Command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned them back, but it escalated the war, two years later… Romulus surrendered to the Federation…"

"The future doesn't sound that bad. Peace with the Klingons, I become an Admiral and later the President…" Spencer laughed.

"That was the beginning of the end for the Federation Captain. Ten years after the war ended, Romulus officially joined the Federation as a member, expanding the Federation across the Alpha and Beta Quadrant. Over the next two hundred years, it finally expanded to encompass the entire galaxy. Fifteen years ago, my time… we entered into another galaxy, one of three within the local galactic cluster, it was there that we encountered an enemy like nothing we have seen before. We don't even have a name for them, we call them Species Omega. The came out of their galaxy like a plague, they've destroyed everything, even Earth is now rubble" Neral said slowly, with pain in his eyes.

"Okay, assuming that I believe you, what does this have to do with me?"

"One man has altered history, everything that we know, that you will experience is slowly being destroyed. This vessel is equipped with, well in words that you'll understand, a Temporal Shielding which isolates it from the changes in the timeline, at least for the moment. Throughout history, we have identified 175 assassinations by a man we have yet to identify. We selected you at that moment we pulled out of your timeline because you still displayed a strong temporal displacement signature. We need you to travel back in time to what we have identified as a pivotal point in history, the murder of a young woman in the earth year 2015. Her death created the first temporal wave… you have to stop that from happening"

"Again, why me? Why can't one of your own crew go back and…" Spencer said with a slight laughter in his voice.

"None of my crew are human. Captain, we need someone who won't stand out to much in that timeframe… can we rely on your help?"

_Location: Earth, North-West England._

_Date: January 15__th__ 2015._

A light covering of snow had fallen on the ground as temperatures hovered slightly above freezing, the streets where packed with people going about their daily business as the Starfleet Captain out of time held his black leather jacket around himself, wearing period correct clothing, denim jeans, black ankle high boots and a thick black sweater with black woollen hat and cloves, he slowly walked into the large building before him. A large supermarket filled with shoppers going about their daily business of purchasing their weekly groceries as they pushed metallic trolleys filled with food. Carrying a small green basket in his left hand, he slowly moved around isles in the large store as he examined the products on display. Fully briefed on his assignment, the Captain carried a communicator and computer tablet which had been disguised as a cellular phone which held all of the relevant information on the assignment of which he had been given. Moving slowly through the isles, it appeared as if the shoppers where lost in their own world as many parked their trolleys in the most difficult places to move past while the isles themselves where filled with larger cages, placed by the staff themselves to replenish the stocks on the shelves for sale.

Moving into an isle which was lined on either side with freezers and refrigerators, Spencer finally located the young woman he was sent to locate. Barely in her early twenties, she appeared as a goddess as her soft feminine voice spoke to a costumer before he walked away without speaking.

"Don't mention it" She mumbled under her breath as Spencer walked towards her.

"Excuse me Miss? I am sorry to bother you, but I can't find the Coffee. Would you mind please helping me?"

"Yeah, sure… isle fourteen. You passed it" She said harshly.

"Isle fourteen? Thank you. If I may trouble you again? The Alcohol section is…"

"Depends on what you want…" She said with a deep sigh.

"The umm… Scotch! It is my friend's birthday soon and I would like to surprise him with the most… expensive bottle that you have"

"Same row, three isles forward from here"

"Thank you for your assistance Miss?"

"Tate, and you are very welcome sir. You're not from around here are you?" She said with a polite smile.

"How did you guess?"

"Most people just walk away, you are very polite" She replied instantly with a smile.

"I see. I am…"

"Let me guess, Canadian?" She laughed.

"How did you know?" Spencer replied, thinking instantly on his feet.

"Lucky guess sir. I'm about finished for the day, let me finish off here and I'll show you to what you need?"

"I would appreciate that, thank you very much Miss Tate"

Placing the empty basket on the ground next to line of freezers, Spencer waited until the young woman had completed with her job before helping her to move the large metal cage into a storage area behind the large store, after filling out the record of her work for the day, she grabbed her jacket from the changing room before joining him in the warehouse behind the store and escorting the Starfleet captain towards the isle where the Scotch Whiskey had been placed on display.

"My dad likes this one, it's an eighteen year old bottle of Scotch Whiskey. It's a little pricey…"

"H-How much is pricey?" Spencer said slowly.

"Thirty-Five Pounds… he say's it's worth it" She said with a frown on her face.

"Price is not the problem Miss Tate…. What is your most expensive?"

"Ohh!" She said before whispering to him. "Listen, this stuff is crap. I know a place where you can get the best, now if money is not an option… it's not far, I can show you?"

"If it is not out of your way…"

"It's just across the road actually" She replied with a smile.

"Thank you Miss State. My name is Rob"

"Sarah"

Following the young woman out of the large store, they slowly crossed the road towards a small store which sold bottles of alcohol from across the world. Purchasing a rare bottle of Scotch Whiskey, the two left the store as they continued to talk as he politely escorted her towards her home, a small apartment building close by the store where she worked. Standing by the entrance to the building a large smile echoed over her face as she looked down in his eyes from the step as she spoke.

"I rarely do this. Some of my friends are having a night out tonight… would you like… erm…"

"If you mean you want me to join you?" He replied slowly.

"Oh, you married. I'm sorry" She said quickly.

"I am not married. Actually, I'm new in town and I don't know how long I will be here for"

"I see. Well, if you decide to join us… 9pm, I'll give you the address"

Writing down the name of the bar on a slip of paper she had pulled from her handbag, she placed it in his hand with a smile as she spoke softly.

"I hope you show up, Rob"

"Actually, I think I will. But, I'm paying…" He said with a large smile on his face.

"I'll hold you to that" She replied with a smile, before kissing his left cheek.

Knowing the time that the young woman's body had been discovered by the local police force and the time of death from the records on the Timeship's archives. He knew that he had six hours to prepare himself for the inevitable engagement, but having a Timeship at his disposal, it would not take that long to confront the man he was sent to stop from changing history. As she entered her apartment building with a smile on her face, Robert Spencer walked towards an alleyway as he reached for his cell phone and requested a beam out. Four hours later, he entered the nightclub as music pounded through the air while people danced and drank the beer served by them. Wearing a perfectly fitting suit, replicated by the Federation Timeship, he saw the young woman sat at a small table with two other women and two men as she looked up and a large smile echoed over her face as she saw him walk towards her.

"Oh my god, Damn it Sarah, he's hot!" One of her female friends said as he walked towards them.

"I hope I am not late?"

"Right on time" She said as she kissed his cheek with a smile. "Ohh, this is Stacey and her boyfriend John, Lisa and her brother Jake"

"Rob, Spencer" He said slowly as he sat down.

"New in town?" Lisa slowly.

"Yes, I arrived this morning. So, what are we all drinking?" He said with a smile. "My round!"

"I like this guy!" John laughed.

If not for the anti-intoxicants he had been injected with by the Timeship's crew, he would have been as drunk as those around him as the six of them laughed and enjoyed their night. Being given instructions by the crew of the ship from the distant future, he continued with the discussion around him on local events whilst keeping an eye on those around him. The time of her recorded death was growing dangerously close as he continued to look around the packed room as the conversation had turned instantly onto him.

"So, Rob. You play football?" John slurred.

"Not in awhile, since my academy days" He said before stopping instantly.

"Academy days?" John said with a smile. "Military?"

"I was… born in… San Francisco, raised in Canada where I spent some time with the C.M.P"

"You where a Mounty?" Sarah said with a smile.

"Red Uniform Sarah, very hot!" Lisa laughed as she poked her shoulder.

"For awhile, I moved back to the States and took a job with the military"

"Did you ever kill anyone?" Jake said as he slurred his speech.

"I can't say"

"Ohh, I like that. Not a no, but not a yes…" Lisa said slowly. "Well guys, if you'll excuse us, we need to use the little ladies room"

As the women stood to leave, the three walked towards the toilet as they laughed amongst themselves, hearing everything they where saying through a cloaked device he had placed on Sarah's dress earlier in the evening, he smiled slightly to himself as they spoke.

"_Oh my god, he is so hot!" Lisa said quickly._

"_Seriously Sarah, take him now or I will" Stacey laughed._

"_I have never met anyone like him. I know that he's older then me, but damn his so mysterious"_

"So.. T-t-tell me, Rob. Why aren't you pissed? You drank as much as we did" John slurred.

"High tolerance for alcohol"

"Spencer, our sensors have detected a temporal signature in your area" Neral said through the earpiece he was wearing.

"Excuse me gentlemen?"

Standing quickly, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cellular phone and placed it to his left ear as he spoke.

"Billy, good to hear from you"

"Captain, the signature is approaching the target"

"Of course" He said into his phone. "Sorry guys, I have to take this"

Calmly walking through the crowd with his phone in his hand, he observed everyone in the room before him as he walked towards the ladies room as Sarah stood alone outside of the door waiting for a vacant toilet. Approaching her from her left, a large male figure calmly walked towards with a knife in his left hand in the dark corridor. Breaking into a full sprint forwards, he placed the cellular phone in his pocket as he watched while the figure pushed a knife into her back while he held her mouth. Reaching her in time before he struck again, Spencer stood between the man as he kicked the blade from the figure's hand as he spun around and followed with another perfectly timed kick with his left leg. In shock, the man staggered slightly before he was grabbed and thrown backwards into the wall behind him before the light from the nightclub echoed over his face and Spencer stood in shock at who he saw. Frozen to the spot, he could not move while a dark smile echoed over the man's face before he ran into the crowd and disappeared instantly.

Sarah could barely scream from the shock at what had happened to her, shaking his shock away, he looked down at her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone and he grabbed her instantly.

"We've got a major problem. Extraction now, two to beam back"

"Stand by Spencer. Got you, energising" A voice called out.

Screaming in pain, the two vanished from the darkened corridor and moments later appeared on the bridge of the Timeship Enterprise as Sarah screamed with shock at both the attack and her new surroundings as alien medical staff swarmed around her instantly.

"What the… F- what is happening?" She said in fear.

"You're safe Sarah, Just relax. They are Doctors, you'll be fine" Robert said calmly.

"What happened Captain, who was it?" Neral said as he approached them.

"Not here Neral…"

"Rob, where are we?" She said as she screamed in terror.

"You're safe. I am Neral, You have been injured, we will take care of you. Take her to the sickbay and tend to her wounds. Spencer, in private!"

Sedating the young injured woman instantly, she was transported to the medical facility onboard the ship before Captain Neral and Captain Spencer entered into a small room which served as the Timeship Captain's office. Turning instantly, Neral spoke with a harsh tone as he glared into the eyes of the 23rd century Starfleet Captain.

"Answers, now!"

"He was older, perhaps in his early fifties? I don't know. But I recognised him and he recognised me…"

"Who WAS IT SPENCER?" Neral yelled.

"James T. Kirk… I don't know how or why, but it was him"

"Kirk? Kirk, Kirk! Of course… his body was never found"

"What? What do you know Neral. Answer me!" He yelled.

"During the early war… I heard rumours of a man we called '_Ghost_'. His identity had never been confirmed, everyone who had gotten close was killed instantly. The rumour is that an archive exists somewhere within the Federation, protected from the changes in the timeline, which states that Kirk is… a pivotal person in history however, It has never been discovered. You see Captain, this archive exists outside the current space-time continuum on a forgotten and hidden world we have never been able to locate"

A cold shiver rippled down Robert Spencer's spine as he looked at the deck plating beneath his feet before he looked back up at the Romulan Starfleet Captain as he whispered.

"For as long as I can remember, I have had the feeling that I have been living someone else's life. A pretender to the throne, so to speak… one image has always been at the centre of this feeling. I think that I know where that archive is Neral"

"Where?" Neral said Instantly and without hesitation.

"Get me a Starchart, and set your course for… the Alpha Quadrant"

"Deep inside enemy space?" Neral said harshly.

"The answer is there I know it, I just have to find it"

"We're so far out Spencer, it would take a little time to get there" Neral said with a slight smile on his face.

"Where are we anyway. I caught a glimpse through a viewport, I didn't recognise the star formations"

"On the rim of the Delta Quadrant… at maximum speeds, depending on your location… we can be there in 35 hours"

"Damn, this ship is fast" Spence replied with shock.

"Computer, display Starchart for the Alpha Quadrant" Neral smiled.

Appearing to surround him, a holographic representation of the Alpha Quadrant appeared to fill the room as the 23rd century Captain looked around in awe at what he saw. During his time, Starships where equipped with a basic holographic projection room which was utilised by the entire crew during their off duty hours, many used it for entertainment however on occasion, the recreation room could be utilised for target practice, once the appropriate measures where taken.

"This is amazing. Okay… I recognise some of these systems from my own travels, something is missing. From what I can see, there should be a star system here" He said as he pointed to an empty region of space.

"No, these charts are perfect, down to the last grain of space-dust" Neral protested.

"Can this room overlay gravitational forces?" Spencer said as he walked towards the empty region on the map.

"Computer, enhance grid forty-two Gamma and overlay gravitational readouts for that region"

Before his eyes, the map of the region he had selected appeared around them as the image in the room flickered for a moment before a second image appeared around the first. Scratching his chin slightly, Spencer walked stepped forwards slightly as he spoke with a look of confusion in his voice.

"There is something in that region, a looks like a small star system, judging by the gravitational forces in that area"

"I see that, but this is not possible" Neral said with the same confusion in his voice. "Computer, extrapolate what a star system would look like in that region, using the gravitational forces and similar star systems a guide"

"Extrapolation completed and displayed" The Computer replied as a five planet system displayed before them.

"Possibly five planets, the last two look like gas giants, fist planet looks to close to that star, the other two could be a possibility" Spencer replied slowly. "That could be your archive Captain!"

"Possible, but one question remains… how can someone delete that system from the Federation archives? Those archives where sealed, only those with the highest possible clearance to alter them"

"I don't know… this is all beyond me sir. Make course for that star system, I'm sure that the answers are in that region of space"

"Bridge this is Neral, I'm sending you a series of co-ordinates in the Alpha Quadrant, set course maximum speed"


	3. Chapter 3

_Location: Approaching the Alpha Quadrant._

_Date: December 17__th__ 2899._

Speeding through space at maximum speeds while under the protection of the cloaking systems which hid the ship from the rising enemy patrols, the Federation Timeship Enterprise slipped past the patrols effortlessly while her highly advanced weapon systems maintained as high alert as the crew aboard her. Deep inside the ship itself, Captain Robert Spencer sat by the bedside of the young woman he had brought forwards in time with him against all regulations he had been given by the Captain of the highly advanced Timeship.

"So, this is a… spaceship… capable of time travel and you are.. What, it's Captain?" Sarah Tate said with a smile.

"No, I don't belong here anymore then you do. We're both out of our own time here. I was brought here by the Captain from the mid 23rd century to assist with a… troubling matter. I feel that you should be made aware of the current situation, I know the man who tried to kill you… we trained together"

"Great! The one guy I like turns out to be an assassin" She said with large smile.

"Not like that Sarah. His name is James T. Kirk, we where friends at the Academy, but he was… killed during our final year. Somehow, someone must have taken him before he died and… for lack of a better term, reprogrammed him. He's been linked to many unsolved murders and assassinations across the galaxy and the timeline, other then your own, one of which you might know of"

"Like I see aliens every day" She said with a laughter in her voice.

"April 26th in the year 1865 outside a barn in Port Royal, Virginia. His murderer was never located… it is still unsolved even today" Spencer said with a smile. "Do you know of this date?"

"My… dad is, was fascinated with the American Civil War. Are you telling me that this Kirk friend of yours killed John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot Abraham Lincoln?" She said with shock.

"That's the theory this crew is working on. Doctor, can she be released?" Spencer called out to unusual looking alien he had never before seen.

"Yes, you will both have to be monitored Captain Spencer. But I see no harm in the two of you being allowed some time to walk around. Remember the temporal prime directive captain Spencer"

"I think that for now, we are beyond that Doctor, your Captain wishes to speak with her the moment she can be released"

After pulling on the once blood stained clothing she wore, Sarah followed the 23rd century Starfleet Captain through the ship as she avoided many of the alien crew, some of which she had even hidden herself behind the Captain from out of her own personal fear of the creature which had walked passed them as they nodded politely. The Captain himself felt almost as uncomfortable as his guest as he walked passed several aliens belonging to species who where enemies of the Federation in his own time. Finally entering the bridge of the ship, Sarah looked at the open space in awe before her eyes fell upon large rectangular viewscreen before her as her jaw dropped at the image of the stars streaking past the ship.

"Ohh my god, this is amazing" She said slowly as Captain Neral stood and nodded slightly.

"Happy that you are impressed Miss Tate" He said with a bow of respect.

"Sarah, this is Neral, Captain of the Timeship… Enterprise"

"This is… beyond words. I've seen TV shows and movies which show shit like this, but I am… just… Wow!"

"Spencer, we should reach the system in one hour, we already have it on sensors"

"On screen please lieutenant" Smiled the Romulan Captain.

"How can you do that?" Sarah said with shock.

"We have detected large temporal waves emanating from the third planet in that system" Neral reported as the planet appeared before them. "It is our guess that is our Archive, however Captain, our sensors have also recorded a large research station on the planet, manned by what appears to be Starfleet Officers… from your century. We are at a loss as to explain why"

"You said the rumours stated this planet exists outside the normal space time? It could be possible Captain. Have they detected our approach?" Spencer said as they both walked towards the viewscreen.

"No, we are… as you would say, Cloaked" Neral replied.

"What does that mean cloaked?"

"Something like an invisibility shield Sarah. Their sensors should not be able to see us… Neral, if they are from my time somehow, I should speak with them, we might be able to find out just what the hell is going on around here"

"And why that Kirk guy tried to kill me?" Sarah continued.

"Agreed, follow me to Holomatrix One. Lenora, once we are in range of their sensors, we should be inside of their temporal field… decloak and alter our profile so we appear as one of their ships"

"Yes Captain" Called out a yellow looking alien species of which Captain Spencer recognised instantly.

"What the hell was that guy?" Sarah called out as they followed the Romulan Captain off of the bridge.

Standing in an empty room, instantly the bridge of a Miranda Class Starship appeared around them along with their own clothing changing to appear as if they belonged on whatever starship they had called up. Standing at the side of captain Spencer, Sarah looked around in shock before she saw the short yellow dress with black trim which had instantly appeared on her body as she laughed slightly.

"What you are looking at is a computer created, three dimensional simulation by manipulating light waves and stabilised by energy barriers. This is perfect, Miranda Class… You look a little out of place Captain. Computer, adjust Neral's physical appearance to appear Vulcan"

"You learn fast Captain" Neral said as he instantly appeared as a Vulcan officer in blue uniform.

"Wow!" Sarah replied. "I mean… just… wow!"

"I assume that we can interact with those on that planet soon?" Spencer said quickly.

"Channel is open… Captain" Neral smiled.

"You have entered restricted space, state your identity and purpose" A voice called out over the speakers around them.

"I am Captain… Jonas Wilde of the USS Tempest, sorry to surprise you, I guess we are a few days early. We have the supplies you have been waiting for" Spencer said slowly.

"Transmit your authorisation code"

"Stand by for transmission…" Spencer said slowly.

"Spencer, this is the wrong Era… this is a late 23rd Century research, adjusting program to match"

Instantly the projection around them changed to a more period appropriate design. Their uniforms where instantly altered to black trousers with an almost blood red wrap around tunic with black trim as the bridge itself changed into a design which appeared beyond the Starfleet current design that Captain Spencer was used to seeing.

"Spencer, Code transmitted" Neral said quickly after muting the audio.

"To bad, I kinda liked the other clothes" Sarah laughed.

"USS Tempest, you are cleared for orbital entry, the Captain will meet you at the designated co-ordinates. Gateway out!"

"Computer, end program. Late 23rd century Starfleet uniforms. I have to make a visit to the doctor for a little, surgery" Neral said with a smile.

"Surgery?" Sarah said quickly.

"If I am right, my species is an enemy to those on the surface" He said before he left.

"What does he mean by that?" Sarah replied.

"In my time, Romulans where a powerful enemy of the Federation, for over a century… we've been at a state of cold war with them"

"Then, there is still war in the future?" She said with sorrow in her eyes.

"Afraid so. From what I saw on their consoles, it should take about half an hour to reach that planet, that gives me time to prep you on what you need to know"

"Then, I am coming with you?" She said with a large smile.

"Somehow Sarah, you are connected with what is happening here and I intend to find out why. I spoke with Neral this morning about this whole situation and he has agreed that you are somehow the key to this whole thing. But the choice is yours, I can't ask you to walk into this situation… but if you will trust me…"

"You saved my life, my dad would say that I owe you" She said with a nervous smile upon her face. "I'm in… Captain Spencer"

"Computer, end program. Can you display the file on Kirk, Cadet James Tiberius"

As quickly as their surroundings appeared, they disappeared before a holographic representation of the cadet appeared to stand before them. Smiling slightly, Spencer walked towards the image of his old friend as he spoke slowly.

"This is Jim Kirk. He was a good and descent man. Do you recognise him Sarah?"

"He looks familiar…" She said slowly.

"Computer, alter age to what he would look like in… 2393"

Before their eyes, the image changed as Sarah walked towards the projection with a smile on her face as she spoke.

"I know him, that's T.J. Hooker"

"What is that, a name you know by?" Spencer replied with a glimpse of hope in his eyes.

"What? No! T.J. Hooker… Denny Crane to name two. His real name is William Shatner… I know what you're thinking, your wrong Spencer. He's an actor…" She replied as she laughed. "You know, from T.V?"

"Got it!" Spencer replied as he closed his eyes and laughed. "Will this is what Jim Kirk would look like a few decades older and the man who tried to kill you two days ago. I just don't know why"

"Can I try something?" She said slowly. "Computer… umm… my name is Sarah Amanda Tate, why am I connected with the current problems?"

"Unable to Comply. Temporal Accords forbid this line of questioning" Replied the Computer.

"Worth a try" She smiled slightly.

"Sarah, wait a moment. Computer, run a scan of Miss Tate and run a genealogical search. Search for any persons with her unique genetic markers along with historical database of events within the history of the Federation and Starfleet Officers up to the current Stardate"

"Tate, Sarah Amanda. Identified…" Replied the computer.

Running through the ship as fast as their legs could carry them, Sarah Tate and Robert Spencer burst into the Medical bay as Captain Neral stood from the surgery to make him appear as Vulcan while Spencer stepped towards him with anger in his face.

"Why didn't you say anything? You knew"

"Temporal Prime Directive. I was not allowed…"

"Lieutenant Commander Emma Wilson… ring a bell Captain?" Sarah said harshly.

"Yes. Take a seat…" Neral said slowly. "Doctor, you are dismissed"

"Yes Captain" The Doctor said before he left the medical bay.

"I, suspected from the moment I first saw you Miss Tate, you bare an amazing resemblance with the Commander"

"My great-granddaughter, several generations ahead" Sarah said with a smile.

"She was an amazing officer, something of a legend in Starfleet…"

"One of my officers" Spencer said with a smile of pride. "You knew, yet you said nothing. And don't give me any of that regulations crap. History has been altered, you said so yourself… that is why you had me sent back to 2015, to insure that Sarah survives and with it, the future of the Federation?"

"Yes Captain Spencer, I did. Without her Emma Wilson's involvement in a pivotal engagement, no matter how small that may have been, her legacy lived on even today…"

"That resulted in her death" Sarah said with sorrow once again in her eyes.

"She sacrificed herself for a member of her crew Miss Tate, as was her duty. The officer she saved became the father of a very important man in Starfleet" Neral replied slowly.

"What else aren't you saying Captain?" Spencer growled.

"More then you know Sir. We shall beam down to the surface shortly with the appropriate uniforms, Captain Spencer you will be joining me as well as you Miss Tate. You will remain silent for the time being whilst myself and Captain Spencer investigate what is happening on the surface, Captain Spencer… since you have made contact with those on the surface, I will appear as your First Officer, Miss Tate as a Civilian Observer… I have a feeling that you be useful during this most unusual assignment"

"Of course Captain Neral" Sarah said with a nod. "Can I get a uniform?"

"No, Civilian clothing only Sarah. I hope that you know what you're doing Neral, they are a few decades ahead of me and centuries behind you. However, I am a fast learner. I assume that your Doctor has made the appropriate alterations to your physiology? Can you play a Vulcan?"

"My grandfather and mother were Vulcan. I lived and trained on that world before joining Starfleet Academy. I know how to behave Captain"

"Sirs, if I may ask. I am grateful for what you people did for me, saving my life and everything… once this is over, I would like to return to my own time and my own life" Sarah said with a smile.

"Of course, we shall discuss that at the appropriate time Miss Tate. Neral to Lenora, we'll meet you in crew quarters 12-A, please have some appropriate Civilian Attire for Miss Tate, circa 2393 and instruct her on her assignment…"

"On my way Captain" A voice called out over the speakers.

"Spencer, you're with me. We have something else to discuss"

Stood in late 2390's civilian female clothing in the crew quarters with a member of an alien species which appeared almost human if not for what Sarah called, an unusual ridge thingy on her nose, something she could not help but look at continuously, she listened to the briefing as given to her by the very attractive young officer sat before her. It seemed as if everything she had said had overwhelmed her significantly but focusing on the complexities of the briefing before she finally raised her hand as if to ask a question.

"Yes Miss Tate?"

"Forgive me for saying so, are you an alien?" Sarah said with almost embarrassment.

"To you? Yes. I am a Bajoran, although from the outside I may appear as human, from the… inside, not so much. Which is a reason why I was not selected for the assignment to assist you in your own time. You see, if I was injured or killed, it would not have taken 21st century medical staff to find out that I am… different"

"I understand. Do all of your species have that nose thingy?"

"Yes Miss Tate, my species has this… Nose-Thingy" She replied with a smile.

"I didn't mean to offend you in any way. All of this, all of these aliens, the technologies… spaceships and time travel…"

"I understand. When I was first assigned to the Enterprise, my first Temporal Assignment was the observation of a dark period in my planet's history. I knew what was about to happen, my orders where to stand by and observe. My planet was invaded by a hostile force in 2319, Earth calendar… I was, hidden by a personal cloak. Only Captain Neral knows this, I watched while the Cardassians took over, during which time I saw a young girl, barely 17 at the time being chased by three large Cardassian males. She was terrified, I was going to help her, bring her inside the protection of the cloak but my orders where not to interfere with the events which took place. She was… two meters from me when they killed her, for a moment… in her eyes I thought that she could see me as she took her last breath. Her eyes focused onto my own as she crawled on the floor and held out her hand as if begging me for help"

"Ohh my god" Sarah said slowly.

"I stood my ground and followed my orders. Every night for the past ten years, I see the look in her eyes as her life faded away and three Cardassians stood over her body and laughed at what they saw. I never knew her name, where she came from or who those three Cardassians where. For three days, I saw more death and destruction of my home world then anyone should have as I was protected by my personal cloak. The occupation of my world lasted for fifty earth years while the federation sat back and watched hiding behind their '_Prime Directive_'. None interference. Eventually my people gained their freedom and became stronger by it, we eventually joined the Federation, first as a Protectorate and then as a full member during which time, my people became much stronger as we had something that the Federation so vitally needed. Two years later, I returned to my homeworld, fifty years after the Liberation to observe my own people…"

"I understand. It must have been difficult to watch, but it was necessary to observe that point in your history" Sarah said with a smile. "I am beginning to understand what you people are doing out here now, recording history and protecting the timeline. A difficult job to do and I respect that…"

"I should not say this Sarah, but you have an opportunity right now. I am violating regulations by saying this… learn from what I have said, learn from what you see here today and what is to come, make yourself invaluable to Neral and Spencer. I can imagine you becoming an great asset to us. We have… contacts positioned throughout the timeline and all over the galaxy. They become useful when needed, when not, they live out their normal lives in whatever timeline they are placed. It's rare, but on occasion people have been recruited from certain points in history as agents… I know that Neral is thinking of this when he sees you. Show him that you can be useful… to use the language of your own time, '_Show him that you can be damned useful_'."

"Why are you telling me this?" She said with a large smile.

"Like you, I am from another time Sarah. I was recruited from another time centuries into the future from this point. Temporal Agents are everywhere, at every time" Lenora said with a large smile on her face.

"How far?"

"I can't say any more, I've already enough. Observe, listen and learn, but most of all Sarah, trust me" She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Materialising on the surface of the forgotten world, Captain Robert Spencer, Captain Neral and Sarah Tate looked around slowly as they saw a large structure glistening in the light from the star at the centre of the system as a figure walked towards them slowly and stopped before them.

"Captain Jonas Wilde? I am Commander Arden Murphy. The Captain send his apologies for not meeting you in person, he was detained by another matter and requested that I take you too him"

"Thank you Commander. My First Officer Neral and Sarah Tate, Federation Observer" Spencer said slowly.

"Captain, Commander, Ma'am" He said as he nodded to each of them. "Forgive the security precautions, we have monitored Klingon and Romulan activity in this region"

"Of course Commander" Spencer nodded.

Entering the facility, they where led through the winding corridors towards what appeared to be an observation room which looked down upon a large an ancient artefact. Stepping towards the opening before them, Spencer looked down over the unusually shaped object as Starfleet Officer worked around it.

"Impressive" He said slowly.

"Since the discovery of the Guardian on Stardate 3134, we have been observing the history of many worlds and we have learned a lot from the being" Murphy said with a proud smile.

"So it appears"

"His origins however… are still a mystery. Who constructed him and why?"

"Him?" Sarah said instantly.

"The Guardian has no gender, he is semi organic and semi mechanical, at least from what we have learned from scans. Due to the male voice, we refer to the Guardian as a male"

"Indeed" A voice called out from behind them.

Turning slowly, Captain Spencer looked on in shock at who he saw before him, his former first officer and a man killed in action three months prior to his last mission onboard the Enterprise which had taken him back to 1969.

"This is Captain Spock, he was temporarily assigned to head this research while the Enterprise was undergoing a refit" Murphy said slowly. "Captain Spock, Captain Jonas Wilde, Commander Neral and Sarah Tate, a Federation observer"

"Captain… Spock? A pleasure sir" Spencer said, whilst hiding his own feelings for his late friend.

"Captain, Commander… Miss Tate. We have made progress in understanding the Guardian's functions. However, six days ago the Guardian had erected a field of temporal energy around this system, in effect, hiding the system from the rest of the galaxy"

"I assume that… you don't know why?" Spencer said with a large smile.

"No sir, not as of yet. The portal itself appears to be locked on Earth's past. So far we have recorded the entire duration of Earth's history several times, each time with a slight variation" Murphy said with respect for the Vulcan Captain before him.

"What variations?" Sarah said instantly.

"So far, he has refused to answer why he is locked on Earth's past. Four days ago whilst observing the past of Vulcan, he instantly shut down before erecting the field around this system and displaying Earth's past. This morning we monitored something unusual…" Murphy replied.

"The death of an old friend, James Kirk at the Academy" Spock continued. "History continued at a fascinating rate, an alliance with the Klingons and the eventual membership within the Federation"

"Sounds… imposable" Sarah said. "Why would Guardian do that?"

"_A QUESTION!_" A voice echoed out from around them.

"He hasn't done that in a while" Murphy said quickly as those around the Guardian backed away.

"_ALL THAT WAS AND WILL BE, HAS CHANGED!_"

"Follow me!" Murphy said with excitement.

Pushing past those around him, Murphy led the visitors through a door and down a long set of metallic steps before approaching the large ancient artefact with a large smile on his face as he spoke instantly.

"Guardian, what did you mean?"

Remaining silent, a long pause followed before Sarah smiled to herself and walked to the front of those around her as she spoke with a loud voice.

"Guardian. Can you hear me?"

"_I HEAR AND SEE ALL!_" It replied.

"Why is the field around this system. Why are you locked on Earth's past?"

"_TIME HAS BEEN ALTERED AND CONTINUES TO BE ALTERED. EARTH IS AT THE CENTRE OF THOSE CHANGES. MANY SUCH JOURNEYS ARE POSSIBLE, LET ME BE YOUR GUIDE!_" He called out.

"Fascinating!" Spock said slowly. "Guardian responds to her"

"_ANOTHER HAS PASSED INTO WHAT WAS, TIME IS ONCE AGAIN CHANGING… OBSERVE!_"

Flickering, the display changed once again as the flow of time continued to change before them while the staff around the guardian once again monitored the changes before one of them spoke out with shock in her voice.

"Captain Spock, the changes have effectively started in the earth year, 1995"

"Can you be more specific Lieutenant Haldane?" The Vulcan Captain said as he walked towards her.

"Calculating sir… I have it. July 3rd, 1995. With the unsolved murder of a man named Joseph Alan Tate Junior"

"Spencer, that's my father" Sarah said with a deep shock in her voice. "The date is almost a year before I was born"

"That's what he intends to do, stop your birth if he couldn't kill you?" Spencer whispered.

"Sounds possible, we have to stop him somehow"

"Neral! We have to do something" Spencer called out.

"What do you intend to do Captain Wilde?" Neral said quickly.

"I assume that the Guardian can send me back? If I can stop whoever is doing this, maybe capture him. We can find out exactly when it all began and hopefully stop him before he starts altering history. Captain Spock, would that be possible?"

"It would, however history is being altered at such a swift pace. It may not be possible for you to return"

"I'll go!" Sarah said quickly. "I have a familiarity with the 20th century, it would be easier for me to assimilate into that time and move around undetected"

"I'll go with her Spock" Spencer called out with a slight smile. "She is under my care, not to mention that she does know more about that time frame then most of us here"

"Agreed!" Said Neral quickly. "However, you will require a change of clothing in order to blend in easier"

"No that, we can do Captain Wilde!" Murphy replied quickly. "We don't have much… time, follow me please"

Fifteen minutes later, the two humans out of time stood before the large guardian as the display continued to loop while the new changes in the timeline had taken hold. Clearing what had become known as '_The Guardian's Room_' Captain Spock stood next to the two in 20th century civilian clothing as he continued to brief them on what to expect once they stepped through the portal itself, looking up into his eyes, Sarah something different that she had observed over the past two hours while a slight glimpse appeared in his eyes as he spoke.

"Good luck, Captain Robert Spencer"

"What?" He replied with shock.

"I know who you are Captain, I have so far kept this information to myself. What I do not understand Captain… is why you are keeping the identity of the assassin to yourself?"

"I should never have underestimated you my old friend, it's good to see you again Spock. You're right, history has been changed in such an astonishing way and it all began with the death of Jim Kirk at the academy. Something that I have never told anyone, it was my fault… I was the one who was should have taken that flight not Kirk…" He whispered. "The… night before, I celebrated with a few friends and got a little… drunk. When I couldn't make it… Kirk's name was next on the list, he took the flight. After his death, I lived out my career in his honour… I became captain of the Enterprise with you as my First Officer. On Stardate 1709.1, Commander Spock was killed in action when the Enterprise responded to an attack by Romulans on a Klingon ship, he saved the ship but was killed in the phaser control room when coolant gas filled the room"

"History has indeed been altered Captain, we must return history to the correct path. However, you have so far not informed me of who you suspect the assassin is" Spock said with a raised eyebrow.

"Thirty Seconds Rob" Sarah said as she stood ready before the Guardian.

"I know. Speak with Neral… he'll explain everything"

Standing ready, the held hands as they both shook slightly before stepping into the portal before them and disappearing into the past, Earth's past.

_Location: North-West England, Earth._

_Date: July 3__rd__ , 1995._

Arriving in the past six months early, Robert Spencer and Sarah Tate had located the target of the assassin from the distant future during which time the two had grown close as friends. Setting up a life close by Sarah's young parents home, the home in which she had grown up in, they had introduced themselves to her young parents as Sarah Wilkins and Jonas Wilde, names that she somehow remembered her parents discussing when she was much younger, good friends of the young couple who entered their lives and vanished as fast creating a mystery that haunted the young couple throughout their lives. It was not the sudden disappearance of the couple which had confused her younger parents, but the unusual knowledge of Jonas Wilde as he sometimes appeared as most intelligent man they had ever met yet on other occasions, seemed completely clueless about minor things such as TV shows and Movies which had instantly prompted Sarah to take over the conversation in his defence almost as if he had not understood the question.

Walking through a country park hand in hand next to her young parents, they had laughed and joked about the events of the earlier day as the four of them had gone bowling together as they enjoyed their day. Stopping by a small malfunctioning fountain, the smell of stagnant water emanated around them as Sarah's mother, Emma Scott smiled slightly as she spoke with a soft voice that Sarah had remembered all of her life.

"Alright, enough is enough… when are you two going to take the plunge?"

"The Plunge?" Spencer said quickly. "That water is disgusting"

"What? No… you two look amazing together. And I've never known anyone like you both, we haven't… Something that has been bothering me for a long time, I just dawned on me earlier. I'm sure that I know you from somewhere Sarah, you look so familiar. I have to ask, have we met before?"

"Not that I know of. I was born and raised in California…" She said as she begun to recite her cover identity.

"That's not an American Accent Sarah…" Her young father said with a smile.

"Like I said a few months ago… Joe, my father was an attaché to a Diplomat, they lived in the States but I grew up surrounded by British officials, I worked hard on keeping the accent"

"And like you said, that's where you met Rob?" Joseph said with a smile.

"Yep, my parents gave up that lifestyle and returned to the U.K. I was 19 when I met Rob… he transferred to England six weeks later when I returned with my parents"

"Doesn't the age barrier your parents?" Emma said with a half smile.

"It took awhile before they accepted me but actually it was Sarah's father that bought me the plane ticket here. Sarah is 24 and I am 35..."

"24?" Emma said with shock. "You've gotta tell me your secret, you look barely 20. But as I said, when are you going to put a ring on her finger?"

"Whoa! To far Emma" Sarah said as she blushed.

Before Spencer could reply, the sound of a beeping came from his jacket pocket. Looking shocked for moment as her younger future parents looked at him, he nodded slightly as he reached into his pocket to retrieve what looked like an old cellular phone, looking at the display, he frowned slightly before he spoke, politely excusing himself before stepping away from the three.

"Where did he get that Mobile? It looks amazing" Joseph said with a hungry smile.

"His work, he tests them before they are launched" Sarah replied quickly. "I don't think he can get you one though"

"Hello?" Spencer said into the phone as he stood alone.

"Spencer, Neral onboard Enterprise. Our sensors have detected a temporal signature in your area, closing on your position"

"I see, what has it been, six months? How are you?" Spencer said quickly as he looked around.

"Am I correct in understanding that you have spent six months in that time zone?"

"That's right old friend, it's been a long time. Where are you?"

"Understood Captain. The target is moving towards your location from your six o'clock"

"Of course. Listen, I can't talk now I'm with some friends… let's have lunch sometime. I'll call you later!"

"We have you on sensors Captain, we can retrieve you at any time. Good Luck, Enterprise out!"

Deactivating the phone, he placed it quickly into his jacket before returning to the group of his friends as he smiled slightly and took Sarah's hand as he spoke.

"That was… Neral, he's in town and wants to get together for a drink sometime. Can we move from here? The smell of that water is a little pungent"

"Of course" Sarah said with a smile. "I thought I saw a bar not far from here, drinks are on me!"

"In that case, let's go!" Joseph said with a smile.

Walking through the parkland towards the structure not to far away, Spencer saw a young man following the four of them, reaching into his right pocket, he wrapped his fingers around the small Starfleet issue type one phaser he had brought into the past with him. Stopping at the door bar and grille, he took Sarah's hand as he spoke.

"Order me a drink, I'll be back in a moment" He said as he placed the phaser in her right hand.

"Of course, usual?" She smiled nervously.

"Usual… Guys, I'll be back shortly"

Seeing the figure stood by a tree watching them, he allowed her hand to slip loose from his as he walked away from the three as she placed the powerful small weapon inside her own jacket pocket within reach of her hand. Recognising Spencer instantly, the man turned slowly and walked away into a crowd of people enjoying the summer sun. Immediately checking his surroundings, he smiled slightly as he walked through the crowd and stood next to an exit as the man walked towards him with a strange look in his eyes.

"Been a long time Kirk. You look good!"

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know you" He said as he pushed past him.

Grabbing his arm, Spencer whipped him around to face him as he glared into his eyes and spoke with a harsh tone.

"Don't play games Jim. I know why you are here… I can't let you do that"

"You know nothing Rob now let me go" He said harshly.

"I know enough old friend. Somehow, you've altered the timeline… I'm here to stop you and put things right"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Robbie. I… was sent here, _BY_ the federation"

"What?" Spencer replied.

"Someone is altering history, we thought that somehow it was you that is why I've been following you for a while now Rob throughout the timeline, I know it isn't you, but it seems that every time I get close, he vanishes" Kirk said quickly. "He always seems to be one step ahead of me, like in the bar… I had him, but you got to him first"

"You where there?" He said with shock once again.

"I saw what you did and that's what changed our mind about you… from my perspective, I was pulled out five years ago before the explosion, I spent years in training for this assignment. We thought it was you Rob, that's why I came here" He said quickly. "Command wants to know what happened, we believe that you know who… we just don't know why"

"How did you get here, where the hell have you been all of this time?" Rob replied slowly.

"I can't say… Temporal Prime Directive is in effect here, but what I can say is that agents located throughout the timeline have been activated, something bad is about to happen old friend…"

Before Spencer could reply, the disguised temporal communicator in his jacket pocket once again activated with an urgent sound. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the device as a voice spoke quickly.

"What are you doing Spencer? That target is approaching the asset!"

"A little sidetracked Neral, I'll explain later. On my way, Spencer out. Jim, you wanna catch this guy? Follow me and don't ask questions, just keep yourself hidden for now"

"You have spent to much time here, you've picked up a local accent" Kirk said before the two ran towards the bar.

Sprinting towards the bar as fast as they could, the young Jim Kirk stepped aside as Spencer caught his breath and calmly walked into the bar towards the three he had moments ago left. From the sides of his eyes he observed everyone in the room while he walked towards those who had become his friends over the past six months as he spoke with a smile.

"I thought I saw an old friend, turns out I was wrong. So what are you three planning?" He said with a cautious smile on his face.

"Nothing much" Sarah laughed. "I assume that this, friend of yours turned out to be…"

"Someone else, I thought it was someone I went to school with that's all"

From the corner of his eye, he saw a tall male figure walk towards them as he remained stood at Sarah's side with his left hand on her shoulder, bending at her side, he kissed her cheek softly as he reached into her jacket pocket for the weapon he had given her. Hiding it in his right palm, he whispered into her '_Keep them down_' before he straightened himself up and turned to face the male figure with a smile on his face. Shock overcame the male figure as he saw Spencer before him, instantly turning on his heels, he swiftly walked towards the exit while Spencer nodded to Sarah before following the man out of the bar while her two future parents watched them in shock.

"What the hell was all of that about?" Joseph said with confusion.

"Wait here, do not move from this table. Trust me Joseph, keep her in here and with you at all times"

"Sarah, what the hell is going on?" Emma replied in an instant.

"I can't tell you… I'm sorry" Sarah said as she stood and followed them out of the bar.

Stopping at the exit to the bar, she watched in shock as Spencer fought the man, his movements in defence of himself where like nothing she had seen before as he moved around his opponent with expertly timed blocks from his hands and feet from the vicious attack. Seeing his opportunity to strike offensively, Spencer leapt into the air with a powerful kick to the man's chest followed by another kick as he spun around in mid air and his left leg connected with the man's jaw, sending him crashing onto the hard ground beneath them while Spencer's feet touched the ground.

Checking the unconscious man before him, he removed the hood over the man's face as he looked down at the bearded assassin as he looked up at another young man who walked towards him with a smile on his face.

"He's unconscious Jim… meet the assassin…"

As he stood over the bearded man, a look of shock ripped across his face at seeing himself lay before him unconscious.

"This is impossible… it's me!"

"It appears that way yes, a future version of yourself…"

"Who are you?" Sarah said as she walked towards them both, pointing at Jim Kirk in shock.

"Sarah, this is going to seem strange… this is the man who I knew as… Cadet James T. Kirk"

"Sarah Tate? It's a pleasure ma'am" He said as he extended his hand in greeting.

"Then who the hell is he?" She said as he pointed to the elder man on the floor. "And why his he trying to kill me?"

"We don't have time for this, people are going to notice… Spencer, I assume that you have a way back?"

Nodding quickly, Spencer reached into his pocket once again and pulled out the Temporal Communicator as he called for an emergency beam out.

"Did I hear you correctly Spencer, you want a beam out for four?"

"No questions Neral, energise before anyone sees us"


	5. Chapter 5

_Location: Federation Timeship Enterprise, Orbiting Gateway, Classified Location._

_Date: December 18__h__ 2899._

Unlike many other situations when the guardian had been utilised to observe the past, the temporal away team had no choice but to return to the present day by the use of the Federation Timeship since the mission had been revealed to Captain Spock, with nothing of the Federation left in his own time, Captain Neral had no choice but to rely on his own alien crew along with those he had recruited from two separate timelines to complete his mission. Since the capture of the temporal assassin and the arrival of the much younger James T. Kirk onboard the Timeship Enterprise, it had become clear to the Romulan Timeship Captain that the timeline had somehow been fractured by the Temporal Integrity Commission and possibly others due to what has since become known as the '_Temporal Cold-War_'. Since the earliest days of Starfleet exploration in the mid 22nd century, rumours of time travellers altering the past had become known to a select few within Starfleet itself and with the testimony of the young James T. Kirk given during the long debriefing, it had now become clear of what was happening within the timeline they had sworn to protect.

Standing before two of the most important men in Starfleet History, Captain Neral had instantly recognised the two as Captain Spock spoke with the young man he knew so well in his own piece of the fractured reality.

"It's strange Sarah…" Spencer whispered while he sat in her side observing the two himself. "I know both men so well, I trained with the young Kirk and served as Spock's Captain for two years. But it seems that history has become… broken, we must find a way to repair it before they send us all back to our own times"

"And what if I don't want to go?" She said quickly.

"You must Sarah as should I, history has to play out as it was meant to do"

"I can't Rob, after seeing all of this… doing what we have done together. I can't go back to filling shelves in a menial existence. Don't let them send me back, please?"

"I don't think that it would be our choice Sarah. Once the timeline is restored, everything will play out as it should. It would be as if… we never met" He said with sadness in his eyes.

"I don't want that. It can't be like that Rob… I'm… pregnant" She whispered in his ears. "I took a test a few days before we came back here…"

"Are you serious?" He said in deep shock.

"Yes" She replied with a tear in her eye. "You see? If things go back to…"

"Follow me" He said as he stood quickly.

Pushing past several of the crew, he made his way towards the room they both knew as Holomatrix One, accessing the systems quickly, a room which was as familiar to him as his own quarters onboard his Enterprise appeared them. Smiling slightly, she walked around what appeared to be a medical bay as she spoke slowly.

"What is this room?"

"Sickbay on my Enterprise… if this room works as advertised, I should be able to check you over with this equipment, if it works, you won't feel a thing" He said with a smile. "Take a bio-bed"

Using a facsimile of a mid 23rd century medical tricorder he called for, he carefully examined her with a slight smile on his face before he spoke.

"It's confirmed Sarah, two months" He said with a smile.

"Don't tell me that you're a doctor also?"

"No, basic field medical training is required course at the Academy. Would you like to know the gender?" He replied with a large smile on his face.

"You can, you can do that this early?"

"Of course, a girl" He replied instantly with a proud smile. "We have to inform Neral, he'll know what to do"

"No, I guarantee that he'll follow orders and send us back where we came from"

"I have to do that!" A male voice called out from behind them.

Slowly turning, Spencer came face-to-face with the Romulan Captain of the ship as he sighed deeply.

"I was coming to speak with you about a development with the older Kirk, but it seems that we have another problem"

"How much did you overhear?" Spencer replied firmly.

"Enough to know that we have another problem Mister Spencer. For what it's worth, congratulations to you both. I know that the Guardian sent you back to the wrong time, during which time you both became close. I never expected this… variation"

"Is that what this is to you, a variation?" Sarah said quickly.

"Pour choice of words, I apologise Miss Tate. Nevertheless, we have another little job for you Spencer, if you are interested?" Neral replied.

"What kind of a job?"

"It seems that the two Jim Kirks are from the same timeline. Roughly five years in front of us is when the younger Kirk was to be recruited for the first time. He spent five years in training and a further fifteen years as a Temporal Agent, however he went back once to often, eight times to be exact. Our doctor has diagnosed him with Temporal Psychosis… in effect, he went over to the dark side, to employ a term that Sarah would understand. We want to send you back once more Captain Spencer, alone this time to a point in your own history. A pivotal moment in your own life when everything changed… you must stop Kirk at any costs from boarding that shuttle flight"

"The Academy?" He said slowly. "That's a long way back… I'll be recognised easily by anyone, including my younger self"

"Not exactly, this is… as you would say, the fun part Spencer. We will effectively beam you into yourself, you will retain your current memories along with those of your younger self, who you will be"

"And what of his actual body?" Sarah said with interest.

"That is the complicated part, it would take a long time to explain Miss Tate. Now, we won't be able to contact you… you'll be alone in that time frame. Once completed, the timeline will reset itself… at least, that is our best guess. Timing is everything here Spencer"

"What about me?" Sarah said with tears in her eyes.

"Theoretically, your history will continue on with you back in your former life, before any of this happened"

"If calculated correctly, is there a possibility that Sarah can live on her life here in this century?"

"It is possible, however illegal as she would be a temporal paradox herself. We have no idea what will happen with the timeline from this point on" Neral said with a nod.

"If there is a slim chance that she can live on, what do I have to do so that will happen?"

"Meet me on the bridge is one hour, I will… see what I can do"

Dizziness overcame him instantly as the brightened room became black for a moment before the brilliant lighting once again appeared. Sirens echoed around him along with the sounds of others calling out for orders as his disorientation passed and Robert Spencer found himself sat in the centre seat of the Academy simulation room while he played out the most infamous test in Academy history, a test designed to teach the young hopefuls fear in the face of such overwhelming odds.

"Captain, your orders?" Called out a familiar male voice as the helm officer turned to face him.

"Jim? Umm… back us off slowly" He said as he regained his senses.

Having taken the infamous Kobayashi Maru test twice at the Academy, he remembered instantly that he had been joined by Cadet James Kirk on his second test. Instantly remembering the disastrous outcome along with his own career behind him, Spencer smiled slightly as he leaned forwards in his chair as he spoke.

"Belay that. Comms, cut through the Klingon's interference… hail them"

"Trying sir" The young female Cadet said from behind him. "I can't cut through"

"Very well, open a channel, all frequencies… use 22nd Century coding, they'll understand that one of them. This is Captain Robert Spencer of the Federation Starship… Luxor, you have illegally entered the Neutral Zone and captured a Civilian Freighter. From what I can tell of her tanks, they are fully loaded with fuel, release that ship… or I'll destroy her myself"

"Sir, if that fuel is ignited…"

"Thank you Mister Kirk, I understand the engineering matters. Comms, reply?"

"No sir!" She replied slowly.

"I warned them… load forward torpedo tubes, target the Maru's fuel tanks and stand by for my order"

"Rob, what are you doing?" Kirk whispered.

"Improvising Mister Kirk"

"Torpedo tubes armed and ready… Captain" A third year Cadet called out.

"Any reply?"

"No sir" Communications officer replied.

"Torpedoes… FIRE!"

On the computer simulated screen before them, two high yield photon torpedoes screamed towards the civilian vessel and detonated instantly, creating an explosion which tore the ship apart as pieces of the destroyed ship slammed into one of the Klingon vessels while the shockwave from the explosion ripped through the second. Leaping to his feet instantly, Spencer gave his next order.

"Reverse course, warp one… engage"

"Reverse course, Aye sir" Kirk said with a deep look of shock in his eyes.

"Klingons, don't take prisoners Mister Kirk" He said as the simulation ended.

"Cadet Spencer, my Office… _NOW!_" A voice echoed from around the room.

Stood to attention in the office of the supervisory officer, Spencer held back his smile as he instantly recognised the man stood before him, yelling into his face concerning his actions within the simulation room. A man who had become his friend in the years to come and the man who recommended him for the position as Captain of the Enterprise.

"In ten years of teaching this class, I have never met a cadet who has taken such an action. Had that been a real situation, you would have killed the crew of the Kobayashi Maru!"

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Spencer said.

"By all means, explain yourself cadet!"

"How we deal with death, is at least as important as how we deal with life. Klingons don't take prisoners Commander Bennett. It is my belief that that, ship was used as bate to lure in any Federation Starship in the area… the crew would have already been executed by the Klingon crews of those cruisers…"

"And the life signs?" Bennett growled.

"Life signs can be easily faked sir. The distress signal would have been relayed to the Maru from a Klingon ship via an encoded channel, that is why all communications where blocked so we wouldn't have discovered that. I saved not only my ship, but my crew during that simulation sir… in reality, I would have done the same thing. Kobayashi Maru had a crew of forty, the simulated ship I was on had a crew of 400. May I make a suggestion?"

"Very well" The Commander said with a smile.

"Alter the test for the next time, give it a large crew with passengers as it should have been" Spencer said with a cocky smile on his face.

"You worked out this for yourself Cadet?"

"I guess you could say, benefit of experience sir… if I was older of course"

"Consider the benefits of my experience Cadet, you will not achieve any credit points for this exercise, it will be marked on your file as a failure. I see that you are scheduled for the flight tomorrow?"

"Yes sir" Spencer said quickly.

"Your analysis of the test was… unusual, but I see no reason why I should not allow you to continue with your assignment tomorrow. But know this Cadet, you are on a warning… I am watching you. One slip up and your grounded am I clear?"

"As crystal Commander" He said as he stood to attention.

"Dismissed. And Cadet, nice work back there… you show promise"

"You have no idea Tom…" He whispered to himself as he left the Commander's office.

Leaning against the wall in the long hallway, the young Cadet James Kirk smiled as he saw his friend walking towards him as he spoke.

"Bennett seemed pissed at you Robbie"

"Nothing I can't handle, he was just a little pissed off that I saw through his test" Spencer said as he walked towards Kirk laughing.

"The Kobayashi Maru has never been beaten Rob…"

"I know, he failed me again. I don't care anyway, but I do know a way of beating it Jim… if you're interested. I doubt he'll let me fly that test again, or even near it… but I think I have the perfect way of showing them how it's really done, if you want to go for a third test I mean?"

"Now, you've peaked my interest" Kirk said with a sly grin on his face.

"Not here, listen. I got that damned flight tomorrow… once I get back, I'll explain my idea. Right now, I have to see a man about a dog, so to speak"

"A dog?"

"Forget about it, I'll see you tomorrow"

Something had changed within the Cadet that Kirk had known since his first year at the Academy, as seemingly overnight he had become more confidant in himself and assertive. The man he thought he knew that day before would never have thought of firing on the simulated ship simply to prove a point to those who was observing their actions from the room above. Even his stature and stride displayed a new found level of confidence which Kirk had observed in many Starfleet Officers of decades of service. As Robert Spencer walked away, Kirk frowned slightly as he yelled after him.

"We have a class!"

"I know" Spencer replied. "The answer is simple, Destruction Resolution Theory, stating that such a paradox described would destroy the Universe. Remember that one Jim… see you soon"

"What? How do you know, Rob, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" Kirk yelled after him.

"Long story Jim"

Standing before a security console which allowed access into the shuttle hanger, he typed in an access code he had been given by the crew of the Timeship Enterprise during his briefing in the distant future. Remaining dressed in his metallic grey Cadet uniform, he smiled slightly as the panel lit up with the access code and the doors slid open to allow him access. A small hanger bay before him held only one operational shuttlecraft as two others appeared to be undergoing maintenance on their engines, smiling slightly, he walked towards the shuttlecraft and sighed deeply as he walked around the vessel which would alter the future in such a disastrous way. Accessing the door controls, he stepped inside and powered up the vessel before sitting in the pilot seat with a deep look of anger in his eyes.

"How did you do it?" He mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me, this is a restricted area. What are you doing in that vessel Cadet?" A young male Engineer said from the open door.

"Relax Mister Scott, I am Cadet Spencer. I'm due to fly this thing tomorrow, I thought that I would take a quick look over her first, memorise the controls"

"How do you know my name?" He said as he stepped inside.

"Montgomery Scott… people call you Scotty. You're one hell of an engineer from what I hear, on temporary assignment here before your first Deep Space assignment. I was given a report on this shuttle that the port inducer was malfunctioning?"

"Aye, it was. Now, get out of the seat Cadet before I have you up on report for entering a restricted area" He called out quickly.

"Relax Scotty. I assume that you haven't taken her for a test flight before the flight tomorrow?"

"Not yet. Who are you, and how the hell do you know me?"

"Simple, you're the only Scottish Engineer in here… and I read the report on this shuttle myself. If I am to take that flight tomorrow, I'd like to know exactly what she can do. Get out or take a seat, you'll find that Captain Morrow has signed my orders himself"

"I'll have to check with launch control…" Scotty said politely.

"You do that Scotty. I'll run a pre-flight while you away"

Suspiciously watching the Cadet before him, the young Engineer stepped out of the shuttlecraft as Spencer instantly turned to the shuttle's computer readout with a dark smile on his face.

"Computer…"

"Working!" Called out the mechanical female voice.

"Run diagnostics on the port inducer, any sign of tampering"

"Negative"

"Interesting. Other then Mister Scott, has anyone had access to this vessel in the last… twenty-four hours?"

"Negative" The Computer replied.

While sat in the pilots seat, he ran checks on all systems which could cause the explosion which would have killed Cadet Kirk in his own past. Seeing that nothing was wrong with the vessel itself, he came to the realisation that however or whatever caused the explosion had not tampered with the vessel at this time. Knowing that he could not simply sabotage the vessel itself since he was now being monitored by the Engineer who would one day become his Chief Engineer, he deactivated the vessel and stepped outside as the Scottish engineer walked towards him with two security officers.

"Cadet, stay where you are"

"Is there a problem Mister Scott?" Spencer said with a smile.

"These orders, are for tomorrow. How did you get a hold of them?" A large security officer said harshly.

"Relax Mister Hendorff, there must be some mistake, I received the orders this morning. Perhaps the scheduling had been mistaken or altered at the last moment? In which case sir, I should leave and return to class. Sorry to bother you"

"Perhaps you should" Scotty said quickly. "I heard about you Spencer, your… unusual assessment in the simulation room. Mister Hendorff, please escort the Cadet back to class. We will, forget this for now… Your flight is scheduled for tomorrow morning, 0900 hours, report back here at 0830 hours for pre-flight. Dismissed Cadet!"

"Thank you sir, sirs…"

Awaking the morning after in the earliest of hours, he stepped towards the window of his assigned room which overlooked the parade grounds of the academy. The day had finally come when he would either fail or succeed in his task of altering the flow of history. Knowing the exact time and cause of the explosion which had seemingly killed Cadet James T. Kirk when in fact, he was recruited by some future officer to protect the timeline which had set off a series of events that would fracture the timeline, he knew that he had only one chance to alter everything. But how those events would play out still haunted him and the reason why he did not sleep the night before. From his own perspective, over the last six months he had fallen for Sarah Tate and was to become the father of her unborn child, if he altered the future correctly, they would never have met and his life would continue on from this moment without the one had grown so fond of.

During the flight, at 10'000 feet above the North Atlantic, the shuttlecraft exploded killing those onboard instantly and spreading debris across the ocean itself. Nevertheless, his solution was a simple one, the shuttlecraft must not be allowed to reach such an altitude and direction somehow. In his original history which had already been changed by this moment, Robert Spencer had visited a party with some other friends and had drank beyond the point where his piloting skills had been impaired resulting in Cadet Kirk stepping into the assignment, the night before however, he had refused to join the party and remained in his assigned quarters for the night.

_Cadet Journal, Robert Spencer. Encoded…_

_Today is the day, I launch in six hours for the flight._

_If Neral's calculations are correct, this should be an interesting experience. For years I carried around the guilt of what had happened to my friend and it was something which had influenced my entire life from that point onwards. Although I now have no idea how my life will take hold, not even my career. After speaking with the Vulcan, it is possible that his history will play out as it should… perhaps the true history? I can not say. Well, I must prepare myself for the inevitable._

_I have encoded this message, I hope this works… if it does Neral, this should play for you on the specific date. If you are still around, I request a beam out at the appointed time._

_Captain Robert Spencer… Out!_


	6. Chapter 6

Pacing up and down before the shuttlecraft which was destined to be destroyed, Cadet Robert Spencer waited impatiently for clearance to take off from the flight controller in the booth above the shuttle. He knew that he had done his job as requested by Neral and his temporal agents, now all he could do was to hope that they received his message in the distant future and put their plan into motion or he would become nothing more then debris, scattered across the north Atlantic, or perhaps if by some miracle he found a way to survive the explosion, he would be stranded in his own past.

Finally, the moment came when a Starfleet Officer he instantly recognised walked towards him with his hand held out before him as he spoke.

"Cadet Spencer? I am Matt Decker, I believe that you are my pilot for today?"

"Umm, yes sir. I've heard a lot about you sir, it's a real pleasure Captain Decker" Spencer replied politely, as he shock the man's hand.

"There has been a change in your flight plan Cadet, Captain Pike has been reassigned… Therefore I have been ordered to assume Command of the USS Yorktown, his former ship. I assume that you have been trained in Starship landing procedures?"

"Ahh, yes Captain. I am fully versed in the protocols and I have previously made several successful landings on the hanger deck of a moving Starship, manually sir" He replied, almost bragging.

"That is not standard procedure cadet, very impressive. Well, when you are ready Cadet…"

"Understood Captain, after you sir" Spencer replied as he motioned towards the open hatch.

Pre-flight tests had already been performed by the Cadet prior to the Captain's arrival as Decker sat in the seat next to the pilot's chair followed seconds later by the Cadet himself after sealing the hatch and programming the flight path into the shuttles computer as the yard-master called out over the speakers in the craft.

"Shuttlecraft twelve, you are clear to launch. Stay on your flight path until further instructed"

"Understood Sir. Thrusters active at one half power, once clear… one quarter impulse power"

Slowly lifting off of the ground, the shuttle left the hanger bay backwards before turning to port and moving away from the Academy grounds while the impulse engines at the rear began to slowly power up, pushing the craft through the air at a slowly accelerating rate.

"I must admit Captain, I was shocked to see that my flight plan had been altered. Doesn't a Starship captain arrive on his vessel from Starfleet Command?"

"Usually Cadet however, I was visiting a family member before my assignment" Decker said as he looked up from his tablet orders before him.

"Your son I believe? A second year Cadet if I am not mistaken?"

"That he is, do you know him Mister Spencer?"

"No sir, but I know of him. I believe that he has a bright future with Starfleet. He is a credit to you Captain, you should be proud"

"That I am Cadet. Tell me son, have you ever been onboard a Constitution Class Starship?"

"No sir, however my Shuttlecraft operations training was primarily onboard an Asia Class Starship, a somewhat similar design to the new Constitution Class… just not as advanced, from what I hear anyway"

"That they are, some say that the Constitution is the natural progression of that design… what do you think son?"

"Permission to speak freely captain?" He said politely, before continuing anyway. "The Asia class is old and will become obsolete very shortly sir, although based on a similar design, the two are nothing alike. I believe that sooner or later, the Asia Class will be recalled and reconfigured into Constitution class schematics effectively boosting the size of the fleet from the projected twelve vessels"

"You seem to speak your mind Cadet, I like that" Decker said with a smile.

"Thank you sir…"

"I looked over your file this morning when I heard that you where my pilot, I saw your assessment of the K-M Test, unusual assessment. Why?"

"Why not sir? I was right when I said that Klingons don't take prisoners. Recent conflicts have displayed that. What the hell?"

Instantly looking down at the control display before him, he saw that the shuttlecraft was experiencing something unusual as it begun to accelerate almost out of control. Struggling to control the vessel, his past command experiences instantly kicked in as he looked back at the captain and spoke with the full authority of a Starship Captain, something which surprised the man at his side.

"We're accelerating out of control, I can't slow her down, but for the moment, I have flight control. Communications are off-line. Get to the hatch and stand by to open it… You're going to have to bail out"

"At this speed and altitude?" Decker said with shock.

"Just shut up, and do as I say before this thing rips itself apart. I'm going to try to stall the shuttlecraft by nosing up while continuing along our course… bail out and call for your ship to beam you out. If I am right, this shuttle will drop like a stone, I'll try an ditch her over the north Atlantic"

"Cadet!" Decker said harshly.

"Do as I say… forty-five seconds Captain. Good Luck! Your ship should be able to beam you out before you hit the surface of the ocean"

Looking up at the captain as he stood from his seat, an icy cold look appeared over Spencer's face as he nodded slightly before Decker walked towards the hatch and opened it in mid flight. Using every ounce of his training, the shuttlecraft obeyed his commands as the nose of the shuttle pulled up slowly, fighting against the stress while the hull began to groan and scream with an almost deafening sound. Looking back at the Captain, he nodded once more as he nodded in return. Reaching for the communicator on his belt, he spoke quickly into the unit while the shuttlecraft stalled in mid-air and begun to drop.

"_CADET, WHAT ABOUT YOU?_" Decker yelled.

"We're still over a populated area… Trust me sir! _GO NOW!_"

Leaping out of the shuttlecraft, Decker disappeared into the cloud coverage as the shuttlecraft fell from the skies. Fighting the enormous g-forces on his body, he jettisoned the rear impulse engine while the main section of the hull, fell from the skies away from the engine pod which exploded. Entering into clear space, he looked out of the window and saw the Captain disappear in a transporter haze.

"Anytime Neral!" He said aloud. "Neral, now would be a good time. Ahh shit!"

From the corners of the hull of the shuttlecraft, the reaction control thrusters began to fire rapidly as he fought to control the rapidly falling vessel. It was minor miracle as he got the shuttlecraft under some form of control, if only slowing the decent as it approached the surface of the north Atlantic ocean. Struggling to his feet, Spencer staggered towards the open hatch and watched as the surface of the ocean rushed back at high speeds as it appeared to get closer until mere inches from the surface, he leapt out of the doomed shuttlecraft and impacted the water hard as the last thing that he remembered was the feeling of a transporter beam catching him as he bounced off the surface.

An explosion of light and sound filled his senses as he instantly regained consciousness and slowly the sound of a soft female voice called out to a shadow he could barely make out.

"Captain, he is awake"

"Neral?" Spencer said weakly.

Slowly his vision became clear as he looked up and saw Captain Decker walking towards him with a smile on his face as he spoke.

"That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen Cadet, you're lucky to be alive"

"What… happened?"

"We tracked your uncontrolled decent, we had a lock on you, but you bailed out. Lucky, my transporter chief was fast enough to catch you"

"Where am I?" He said slowly.

"Starfleet Medical. You where badly injured when you hit the surface of the Atlantic, you are one lucky bastard Spencer" Decker replied with a large smile on his face. "We recovered the shuttle debris this morning, we still have no idea what happened"

"I-I can't move"

"Easy Cadet, easy. You broke your legs and arms, several ribs are fractured and your spine is broken… you are very lucky to be alive" The Doctor replied with a smile on her face.

"Really? I feel great"

"That's the medication Spencer. Starfleet wants to give you a commendation for your actions…"

"Tell whatever Admiral said, to shove it up his ass sideways" He said with a smile on his face.

"That would be the Medication talking captain" The Doctor said with a smile.

"No Doc, that's me talking. I don't care about any… commendations"

"Well, regardless Cadet. You have a place on my ship as soon as you are ready. Just call me son…"

"I… may consider that Captain, thank you sir. If you wouldn't mind… I'd like to be alone for awhile?"

"Of course Cadet. I'll be waiting on your call. Doctor, get him anything he needs…"

"Aye Captain"

_Six Months Later…_

Trapped in his own damaged younger body, Robert Spencer completed his final year at the Academy from the hospital after undergoing many surgeries to heal his extensive wounds. Due to his injuries, he had almost become something of a recluse to the other cadets as his final grades had slipped below the halfway mark in his class as anger had overtaken him. Finally leaving Starfleet Medical, Robert Spencer had resigned from Starfleet with his graduation speech to a shocked crowd after searching the historical database.

Walking by the aide of a cane, he stood before a small marble headstone as tears flowed down his face as he read the inscription before him, after clearing away centuries of growth and dirt.

_Sarah Elizabeth Western._

_Born: August 18 1996_

_Died: September 18 2074_

_Loving Wife, Mother and Grandmother._

"I know that you don't know who I am, but we shared something amazing. I did everything for you, I was hoping that in someway… you felt that you knew me Sarah. I did it, I put things right. Kirk will go on as Captain of the Enterprise. It won't be easy for him, but he'll have the life he was supposed to…"

"And he did…" A voice called out from behind him.

Slowly turning with the aide of the walking cane, a female figure approached him with a smile as his face illuminated at who he saw before him.

"Kirk became, perhaps the most important man in Starfleet history. His legacy lived on… hello Rob, it's been a long time"

"Sarah?" He said slowly.

"It worked Rob, your plan, it worked" Walking towards him, she held him tight as he replied.

"How, I mean… why did it take so long to come back?"

"A lot has happened since you left Rob, more then you know. History played out as it should, and I stayed as I was while… she continued with her life" Sarah said as she looked at her own headstone and shivered. "Neral contacted the Commission back on Earth and explained everything, it took years to get the authority to come back for you, a real hero… you should have heard him go to bat for you before his superiors"

"Years, how long has it been?" He said slowly.

"Six years Rob. During which time… he trained me himself. You are looking at Lieutenant Sarah Tate of the Timeship Enterprise, unofficially of course…"

"Six years? Then…"

"She's beautiful Rob, and Emma is waiting to meet her father. I've come back for you, are you ready… to come home?" Sarah replied with a large smile.

"I am. But the commission?"

"They saw what you did, they saw everything. You'll need retraining… it's not easy Rob, trust me on that one. After which, they have an assignment for us. I know about your injuries, a few days, you won't even notice. But first, do you mind if we move from here? This is giving me the creeps, stood over my own grave"

"Of course. But one question, if I return…"

"You'll be you, as you are now. 21 years old…" Se said with a large smile.

"I had to ask"

"The Commission was less then happy that I am still around, and you for that fact. They called me a temporal paradox. You should have died during that crash… but, history recorded that on this date after resigning from Starfleet, you visited this site and disappeared. Your shuttle will be discovered in four hours along with your cane. Take my hand Rob, let me take you home"

_August 3__rd__ 2272_

_Location: Sol System, Earth._

_Office of Rear Admiral James T. Kirk._

Redesigning of what would eventually be a new Starship had been proceeding ahead of schedule even though the new warp nacelle struts where to be delivered three months late due to an oversight which had required a complete redesign of the entire structure. Rather then the original configuration, a new warp theory discovery had called for a more swept back design to the support columns. The new design had originally called for a more radical angle for the housing with a longer structure to hold the vital warp nacelle in place, away from the main engineering section of the vessel. However, a recent breakthrough by the chief designing team had allowed for more elegant design which would follow the smoother lines of the new vessel itself, bringing the nacelles once again closer to the ship itself.

Since his recent promotion to Rear Admiral, James T. Kirk had served as the Chief of Operations for Starfleet as a part a key figurehead for Starfleet itself. Since the triumphant return of the Starship Enterprise from her deep space assignment, a complete shake-up of the entire command structure had been called for after a scandal which had almost cost Starfleet its role within the Federation. The key factor in the new command structure was the redesign and future relaunched of the most famous ship in the fleet, USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and the promotion of the entire crew including James T. Kirk himself. With all of the personal appearances and tours of the Enterprise behind them, the crew concentrated on rebuilding the pride of the Federation under the watchful eye of Kirk himself. Although his promotion had taken place in a very public way, his removal from the centre seat of the Enterprise had deeply effected the man if not for his hand selected replacement as Captain of the Enterprise, a man he knew well. Captain Willard Decker, son of the late Commodore Mathew Decker.

Although his office had been located in Starfleet Command, much of his work had been completed in the orbital facility close by the deconstruction of his former command. From the window of what had become his unofficial office, it appeared as a little more of his former ship had disappeared by the day. From his last view of his pride and glory, all that remained of the once gallant ship was the Engineering section and half of the angled neck which once supported the saucer section of the ship herself. Before he left the orbital complex, he watched through the old style telescope as the navigational deflector dish had been removed carefully by engineering staff. It was still unknown as to what would happen to the parts of the vessel which had been removed, although the original bridge module itself had been carefully taken apart and reassembled in the Smithsonian Institute on Earth as a part of a huge public display of which he had been constantly asked to open for the public and subsequently turned down numerous times.

The night had passed slowly by as he listened to the communications channels assigned to the deconstruction crews as occasionally a slight smile echoed over his face as he heard the unmistakably angry voice of his former Chief Engineer, yelling at the crews who where not performing their tasks. Finally at 0115hours, he packed up his work for the night and left his office for his home. Awaking in the night with a startled look in his eyes, he stood quickly as the sounds of a Starship's engines broke his sleep. Leaping onto his feet, he reached for a robe off of the chair next to his bed and wrapped it around his body before his eyes adjusted to the light and shock overcame him.

"Where am I?" He said instantly to himself.

It was a room he recognised instantly as he paced the small cabin like room. Laughing slightly to himself, he nodded at what he thought was a practical joke by Doctor McCoy, his former chief medical officer who had since retired from Starfleet to take up a private practise in his home town.

"Nice work Bones!" He laughed aloud. "I see you saved my old quarters, must have been working on this for awhile"

Stepping towards the door which once led into a corridor of the ship, he expected to see Doctor McCoy and a number of his former crewmates on the opposite side of the door, laughing and applauding him. But as the doors slid open, he saw nothing but the walls facing his quarters and long and winding empty corridors on either side.

"I didn't give you enough credit Bones, this is good. Pay back is going to be a bitch though"

Dressing in the only clothes he could find in his quarters, his former Starfleet Captain's green wrap around tunic, trousers and boots. Kirk walked through the corridors slowly until he approached a turbolift.

"Alright Bones, This is getting annoying" He said to himself.

Stepping into the turbolift, he thought about how he could gain revenge on his friend for this joke as perhaps he had been somehow transported, in the night onto another Constitution Class ship which was in orbit over Earth, a vessel which was about to undergo the same rebuild as the Enterprise herself. Calling for the bridge, the turbolift moved along the saucer section from deck five towards deck one before the doors finally opened and he stepped onto the bridge as the brass dedication plaque of the ship caught his eye.

_USS Enterprise_

_Starship Class_

_San Francisco, Calif._

It was known to everyone that each ship had its own personality, sounds and smells, even the Captain's chair was uniquely designed as no two chairs where the same. Slowly walking towards the chair, he sat down slowly as he looked around the bridge, puzzled by what he was now experiencing.

"What the hell is going on?" He said to himself slowly.

"You're not dreaming Jim, you're actually here back on the bridge" A voice called from behind him.

Leaping from the chair, he whipped himself around as he saw a man stood before him with a smile on his face in the once empty bridge.

"Who are you. Did you bring me here?"

"Yes Jim, I did. Don't you recognise me old friend?" The man said slowly. "I know it's been a long time for us both, but I've been allowed to come back one last time"

"I know who you appear to be, but that's not possible…" Kirk said harshly.

"Ohh trust me Jim, it is me. Rob Spencer… I brought you here, because this is where you most feel comfortable. I have a lot to tell you old friend, and not much time to say it"

"Spencer? Where have you been the last twenty years? You don't look a day over 30"

"Let's just say that I was transferred by a higher power. I still work for the Federation, just not as you know it. You're actually back on the bridge of the Enterprise Jim, six hours before she was to be shut down for her refit. A few months ago from your perspective. Strange seeing the bridge like this, isn't it? Practically devoid of life. You know this was once my ship?"

"What are you talking about?" Kirk said with confusion.

"What happened at the Academy Jim, the shuttle flight…"

"What?" He replied instantly.

"Humour me, what happened?"

"You… took the flight, the engine failed… You where with Matt Decker, he bailed out while you flew the shuttle to a safe location before your injury…"

"The second time around, yes. The first time, you where on that shuttle… I got so badly drunk at Jack's party, I couldn't fly… so you took the flight in my place. The engine exploded, killing you in the process. I went on to command the Enterprise as her captain… I was later recruited by, someone else to stop you from piloting that shuttle as history had begun to change badly for all"

"Are you insane?" Kirk laughed.

"I thought I was… remember the last time you saw me before the flight? I gave you that answer. I had already taken that class, I knew the answers, answers that I gave you Jim. My time is running short here Jim, soon you'll wake up in your bed back on earth in your current time. You can never tell anyone about this, for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?"

"No, I have no idea what you are talking about" Kirk growled.

"Think Jim, think…"

"Rob, your time is almost up" A soft female voice called out from his direction.

"My people are going to bring me back soon. Listen to me old friend, avoid time travel at all costs. And let go of your guilt about what happened to me. I have a wife and daughter where I now come from, I am happy"

"Where is that?" Kirk said as he held back his own laughter.

"Avoid time travel Kirk… I'll be watching you, we all are. You are far to important to the _future_ of the federation to mess around. I don't want to have to stop you Kirk, but my new superiors will send me to do that if needed"

"What superiors?"

"Good bye Jim, if all goes as it should. This will be the last time we meet"

Awaking instantly in his bed back on earth, he looked around quickly as his disorientation passed quickly. Smiling slightly to himself as he looked around, he passed off the experience as if it was a dream until he threw off the bed covers and stood slowly as he rubbed the back of his head. Confusion echoed through him as he looked down at himself and saw that he was wearing the green wraparound uniform from his former command. Instantly leaping to his feet in shock, confusion once again echoed over his face as looked around his bedroom and saw a bottle of what appeared to be Scotch Whiskey on his bedside table with a note. _Remember, R.S._


End file.
